The biggest election on earth has ended and before counting starts on 23rd, the exit polls have started to churn out numbers. The predictions have caused either delight or disheartenment, depending upon one's political leanings. The meme-makers seemed to be just as happy either way.
According to the regulations, news channels and other sources were prohibited from making any exit polls public till after the completion of all phases of voting. So as soon as that was over on 19th May, we were flooded with exit poll numbers which all point to a return of the NDA and people were happy to draw their conclusions without waiting for the actual results.
Some were very happy with the exit polls, others not so much.
Most exit poll predictions seem to indicate that the results this time around will be about the same as the previous general election; giving the current dispensation another term.
India's exit polls have historically got things wrong. They tend to favour the incumbent in general. Actual results tend to differ from the exit polls.
This meme about Akshay Kumar’s dalliances tells the story as well as the GoT meme.
Standup comics such as Atul Khatri expressed his dismay at the exit poll results and then proceeded to be delighted at the stock market surge. He even changed his Twitter handle name to reflect the irony of this.
There are also those who believe that there are vested interests deliberately making misleading or inaccurate exit poll projections.
Several reports about tampering with EVMs have come in from various places. Commentators seem to have their own conspiracy theories about these.
Some commentators have expressed disbelief at the projected NDA sweep; particularly in view of the fact that this time around, there is no Modi wave like the sort that swept the country during the last election.
This time around, there has been a large-scale rejection often dynastic politics and the sense of entitlement that so many of our politicians seem to have.
Akash Banerjee makes a sarcastic reference to the way in which much of India’s current problems are sought to be laid at the door of our first ever Prime Minister.
The opposition was faced with the task of battling the formidable propaganda and marketing apparatus of the ruling party, a weak and compromised Election Commission and a very rich incumbent. Its task was always going to be herculean; but they were hoping against hope.
So will the exit polls be accurate or not? When counting starts in a couple of days, we shall be able to gauge the destiny of our nation a bit better.
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